Broken
by Carlafanx
Summary: Set in May 2014, a tragedy occurs in the Barlow household. What will happen?
1. Broken

_**25th May, 2014. The day before Peter and Tina were going to run away together. **_

"Carla? Hey, what's up?" Michelle questions, highly concerned.

She'd been working at the bar in the Rovers alongside Tina and Steve when Carla came in. The pale complexion, red watery eyes and her shaking frame gave an obvious message that something was really wrong.

"Car? Has something happened?"

Michelle walks over to her best friend, who stands still at the door. Her eyes are so wide and her body looks paralysed in shock, or is it fear? She wondered whether something might be wrong with the baby. Carla already had a scare once and Michelle knew that she was more sensitive at the moment.

However, Carla wasn't saying a word. She couldn't.

Back behind the bar, Tina watches on in horror. She was ready to make an escape if needs be but she wanted to be sure whether Carla's state was linked to their secret affair. Peter swore he wasn't going to tell her, they were going to move away very soon.

Steve caught on to Tina's shifty movements, he glared at her and prayed this wasn't anything to do with her. He sighed; wondering if he should go over and help but decided against it.

"Carla. Speak to me." Michelle says more forcefully. She held onto her arm and gently shook her.

"It's...it's Peter." Carla's weak voice stutters.

"What about Peter?" She frowns.

"I-..." a sob escapes Carla's lips, not being able to keep her emotions under control with the shock revelation she was about to say. "I can't do this. No, no..."

"Darlin' you need to tell me what's happened. Is Peter okay?"

"Do you want to go out in the back instead? People are watching." Steve pipes up.

"We will in a sec, Steve." Michelle replies. "Carla, do you want me to go to the flat?"

"Chelle..." Carla cries. "I...I was in the bath which he made me after work a-and I stayed in their for an hour or so and then I-I came out afterwards and..."

Michelle narrowed her eyes. _A bath? What's that got to do with anything? _She looked and saw Carla wearing joggers and a vest top, this told her Carla had clearly gotten ready for bed so she needed Carla to go on with the story. What the hell happened next?

"And?"

"He...he was laying on the sofa...on his back." She chokes on a violent sob.

"Ugh, I need to sit down." She takes a deep breath and shakily holds onto Michelle.

Steve moves a stool over to Carla where she sits, a hand to her mouth also.

"He was grey in the face...sick everywhere...I-I didn't know what to do."

Michelle, Steve's and Tina's eyes widen in shock.

Tina walks over to them, "where is he now?"

"I left him in the flat." Carla sniffs.

"Right, lets go." Michelle orders, the four of them leaving the pub in a hurry.

The door of the flat was open ajar, Carla and Michelle walk in first followed by the other two.

As soon as the pregnant brunette spots him, she turns around and gags.

"Oh...no, no, no."

"Someone call an ambulance, now!" Michelle shouts. "Steve, help me move him onto his side."

"Ambulance please. Umm...can you get here as quickly as possible, it looks like someone has choked on their vomit. Yeah..." as Tina carried on talking to the emergency services, the others tried reviving him.

"Has he got a pulse?" Michelle mumbles.

"Well I don't know, do I? I'm no paramedic."

"Oh for god sake." Michelle huffs, looking for one herself. "I can't find one."

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault." Carla whispers, repeatedly.

"I thought he stopped drinking now!" Tina sighs, tearfully.

_"Heya, love." Peter smiles, watching his wife take off her coat. _

_"Hello, mister." She walks over to him, kissing him passionately._

_"Good day at work?" _

_"It dragged. Ey, I thought you'd of come in for a little bit." _

_"Oh I was going too but...something came up. Dierdre wanted help with something stupid." Peter lies. _

_"Right." Carla nods. "My back is killing, I could sleep for a week." _

_"Aww, baby. You're only at the four months mark too," _

_"I know right, imagine how much worse it's gonna get." She groans._

_"It'll all be worth it though, won't it?" _

_"Definitely. I think everything's turning back on track." She smiles, optimistically._

_"Yeah, I know I've let you down countless times recently. What with the drinking and missing the scan but that's all in the past, okay? I want this baby and I want you. I'm in it for the long run." _

_Carla sits on the arm of the sofa, leaning over and wrapping her arms around his neck. _

_"I love you so much." She whispers._

_"And I love you." He replies, sweetly. _

_"I'm so excited to spend the rest of our lives together. Just imagine you know, picking up our litte son or daughter from nursery. Or all those parents evenings we'll go too. Walks to the park, playing foot ball. We've got so much to be excited about." _

_"I've never seen this side of you before, not properly." _

_"What side?" She frowns._

_"Your maternal side. And I must say, it's beautiful to watch. You've made me love you even more and I didn't think that was possible." _

_"Wow, full of the compliments today." _

_His phone buzzes. _

_"Look, why don't I run you a bath and we can settle down for the night?" He offers._

_"Mmm, that sounds like just what I need." _

_He returns to the living room after making Carla a bath and sits back down on the sofa, putting his head in his hands. _

_Listening to the quiet sound of Carla's music, he looks at his phone and sighs, _

_**Tina:** where are you? You said you'll meet me during my break. Peter we need to talk about leaving tomorrow. Call me back ASAP or I'll come knocking. _

_He didn't want to leave Carla but he knew he didn't deserve her or the baby. If she knew what he'd been up to, he wouldn't have neither of them ever again. And as much as it was tempting getting away from all the stress in Weatherfield, it'd just be taking his problems on tour. There was no easy way out of this. Whatever he does, he hurts somebody. It was just too much for him to handle. _

_Since the scare the other day, he realised just how much Carla meant to him. It was near enough impossible for him to just get up and go, never to see her again. They'd been through too much together and it couldn't end like that. Truth is, he didn't want it to end at all. He made his mind up; it was Carla he wanted. _

_His phone buzzes._

_**Tina**: I know you're ignoring me. If you carry on doing this then I'm going to tell Carla everything. And I mean it. Stop being so pathetic. _

Missed calls from Tina (6)

_He stands up, furiously throwing cushions around and opening all the cupboards in the hunt for booze. A few days ago, he hid a bottle of whiskey somewhere but can't remember where because he was so drunk at the time. _

_After looking for a good 10 minutes, he finally finds the bottle behind the tv screen. Smiling in relief, he turns the cap and sits on the sofa. _

_Peter chugs it all down. _

"He's dead, isn't he?" Carla cries, leaning forwards and putting her palms onto her thighs as she tries to steady her breathing.

"We can't confirm anything until we get him to hospital." The paramedic that arrived four minutes ago says. "Get the stretcher."

"Just tell me!" She shouts. "He's dead!"

"We can't find a pulse, no."

"Car, come here." Michelle walks over and hugs her, practically holding the poor woman up.

Carla didn't know it was possible for her to make these sort of sounds. The scream sounded like it was coming form another person, then she realised it was her.

She collapses into Michelle's, panting for breath as her tears fall rapidly down her contoured cheeks.

Next to the devastated woman was Tina. She had a hand to her mouth, trying her hardest not to look overly heartbroken. But in her head, she loved Peter just as much as Carla did.

"We're going to take him to the hospital now. Would you like to come into the ambulance with him?" The paramedic asks.

"Y-yeah." Carla murmurs, nearly inaudiblely.

"We'll drive over once we've told Tracy and Deirdre, okay?" Michelle says.

"I want to come." Tina blurts out.

"Why?" Michelle frowns.

"We got on well. Please." She whimpers.

"Ugh. Come on, Chelle." Steve glares, walking off with his girlfriend.

Some time has passed since then, Carla is walking in circles in the relatives room at the hospital. She is joined by Michelle, Steve, Tina, Deirdre, Tracy and Rob.

"Carla, sit down. You'll make yourself sick." Rob says.

"I can't believe this is happening." She hyperventilates.

"Calm down, okay?" Michelle sighs, softly, as she rubs her back. "Come and sit down."

"No. I just want Peter." She cries. "I want my husband."

"Why was there even alcohol in the house?" Tracy pipes up. "You were supposed to make sure it was all gone!"

"Ey, don't have ago at her!" Rob snaps.

"He must've snuck it in or something." Tina mumbles.

"Excuse me but what are you even doing here?" Tracy snaps. "You're nothing to do with Peter so get out!"

"Oh, am I not?" Tina glares. "I could teach or a thing or two."

"Okay, that's enough. Tina, shut up." Steve says.

"He's right. Shut up." Rob warns.

"Carla is going through hell here and you two and squabbling like a couple of kids." Michelle snaps.

The nurse walks over the the family.

"What's going on? Is he okay now?" Carla asks, impatiently.

"Do you want to talk somewhere privately?"

"Whatever you've got to say you can do it here. We're his family." Tracy whines.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to revive Mr Barlow. We tried everything we can." the nurse reveals, sending shockwaves through the room.

They all knew that this was the most likely outcome considering he was out cold in the flat but hearing it officially come from trained professionals was way too much to comprehend.

"No..." Carla sinks to the floor. "No, no, no, no"

She sobs so loudly, almost an ongoing scream.

Everyone was devastated. You could hear Deirdre crying in the arms of Tracy who was also upset but no one was in Carla's position of downfall right now.

Tina leaves the hospital, leaning outside on the wall and letting her tears go free.

How had it come to this?

"Chelle...what am I going to do?" Carla murmurs.

A few hours later, the pair were sat away from the other relatives. Carla was holding a cup which she'd been biting on to reduce stress and Michelle is trying to comfort her the best she can, rubbing her back and kissing her forehead.

"Don't think about that now, darlin'."

"I'm gonna have to sooner or later." She suddenly starts crying again, just when she thought she'd stopped. "This baby is never gonna meet its dad."

"You can show it photos, videos, we can all talk about him." She reassures her.

"But he won't be there. He was telling me how excited he was, he wanted this baby with me."

"I know." She sighs, she felt so useless.

"I can't be a single mother."

"We'll all be here to support you."

"But I just want Peter. I've only ever wanted Peter. Why does everyone I love die."

"I don't know..."

"D-Do you think it was accidental?" Carla questions.

What? You can't say he wanted-..."

"No, no I'm being silly. We just told eachother how excited we both were for the future...It's not fair."

_Her bath had been just what she needed. Peter had lit candles, played her music, put her favourite lavender scented shower gel in the bath and made bubbles. She was fully relaxed and believed she could've stayed in it longer if she'd wanted too but was desperate to curl into Peters body and snuggle for the rest of the night. _

_She put on some lounge wearing clothes and turned sideways to see her body in the mirror. It'd changed so much but she was so glad it had. _

_Carla was always the kinda girl who stuck to diets and needed to have the 'perfect figure'. She was always careful with what she ate to make sure no weight was added on. But now, she was happier to be getting bigger. It meant her child inside her was getting bigger and stronger every single day. Her new life with Peter and this baby was so exciting, it felt so much more real now she had a little, but noticeable, bump. _

_She opened the bathroom door and called, "Peter!" _

_"Peter, look how big I look!" She chuckles, walking into the main living area and standing still on the spot._

_It sent chills through her. _

_There lay Peter, looking grey almost with sick surrounding him. It was all over his mouth, his white top, the sofa, everywhere. Carla immediately notices the empty whiskey bottle which now is on the floor. _

_"No, Peter, no!" She whispers to herself, rushing towards him and going onto her knees. _

_She holds Peters lifeless head in her arms and shakes him. _

_"Baby, wake up! Wake up! Don't go scaring me like this, come on!" _

_With no success, she places her head onto his chest and silently sobs. _

_"Peter..." she repeats inbetween each sob. _

_"You can't leave me. Please don't leave me. Please." _

_"We're meant to be together forever." _

_"I need you." _

_She stands up, holding onto the sofa for support as she starts feeling queasy. She looks down at him again and can't prevent herself from gagging. Jogging over to the kitchen sink, she empties out her stomach to the point where it's just dry heaves._

_Her head was spinning, she didn't know what to do. _

_Without thinking, she runs out of their flat whilst still wearing her slippers. She didn't even shut the door. Deciding that she needs Michelle, she makes her way to the Rovers. _

Now, the love of Carla's life had been ripped away from her so cruelly. She couldn't help but blame herself, why didn't she watch him more?

Carla didn't know how she was going to carry on but she had to try for her little baby. The only part of Peter she had left.

However, Tina was stomping through the hospital corridors. Ready to make her feelings known, she had to grieve for Peter too.

_**Hope this is okay?! Leave reviews x **_


	2. Chapter 2

"Carla!" A voice shouts, full of concern.

"Carla! Answer me!"

"Come on, baby wake up!"

_The drive home was silent, Carla sat in the passengers seat and looked out the window through blurry eyes. How was she going to move on from this?_

_Michelle drove the car, repeatedly looking over at her best friend, biting her lip. Last night had been horrendous, so unexpected._

_She couldn't imagine Carla without Peter. She has been his rock for so long and wouldn't of got through half the things that'd happened to her if it hadn't been for Peter._

_Sighing, her eyes caught Carla's hand which was gently resting on her stomach. The very small but rounded stomach where her baby lay peacefully, not knowing the disruption around it. Michelle knew she was going to have to look out for Carla and her baby now Peter wasn't around..._

_A tear fell down Carla's contoured cheek, her mind was all over the place but it kept going back to his body; the pale body that lay on the hospital bed whilst she sobbed into his chest. It reminded her of Paul's death but this time was different, this time she lost her soulmate. It looked like Peter was sleeping, finally at ease from all the mental struggles he'd been battling. But she felt her heart physically break over and over again as she imagined his poor body all alone._

_It sent shivers down her spine, made bile rise to her throat..._

"Carla!" The voice says, louder.

Her eyes spring open, cold sweat coated her forehead and her pyjama top clung to her body. Her eyes darted around the room and her breathing was fast and shallow.

The nausea hadn't left her and she bolted out of bed, sprinting to the bathroom and emptying the contents of her stomach. Dry heaves and splutters was deafening to her ears, it made her eyes water and her throat burn.

Then, she felt a comforting hand on her back.

A welcoming and gentle hand.

The other moved her hair into a makeshift poney tail and then she heard the voice...

His voice.

"Shhhh. That's it, get it all out."

She turned around and looked at him, bewildered, before putting her head into his chest and sobbing.

Frowning, he wraps his arms around her small frame and kisses the top of her head as she cries.

"What's wrong, baby?" He questions.

"Peter..." she exhales. "I just had the worst dream ever about you."

"Really?"

Before Carla gets the chance to explain, she goes back to facing the toilet and throws up again.

"Oh god. Why are you throwing up so much today?" He comforts her.

"I think it's a mixture of morning sickness and the nightmare." She replies, quietly.

Eventually, her head emerged from the toilet and she slowly stands up, leaning on the side of the bath for support.

"Careful." He says, putting his arm around her as she moves unsteadily to the sink.

She takes a few deep breaths, looking at her reflection and groaning when she sees her pale and clammy complexion.

She starts brushing her teeth, doing anything to get rid of the disgusting taste in her mouth that still lingered. Peter was behind her, watching on in the mirror and looking worried.

Once she'd finished, she turns around and leaves the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine-..."

"Peter, I'm pregnant. This kinda goes with the territory." She replies, quietly.

"I know but it's never usually that bad." He follows her into the bedroom.

"I've had a rough night." She sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed and placing her head in her hands.

"What about? Talk to me. What was the nightmare about?" He pleads.

"I don't want to talk about it, Peter." She groans, getting into the bed and snuggling under the duvet. "I'm not going into work today. My heads banging."

Peter knew there was no talking to her when she was like this, so he left the room and went to work.

Now alone, she wanted so desperately to go back to sleep. She felt so ill. But the fear of going back to that nightmare was just too much to bare so she stayed awake, her stinging eyes darting around the room.

Her mind was still plagued by the 'events' that had happened though. It kept going back to the torture her head endured earlier...

_Michelle and Carla got out the car, Carla leaning on her for support. She felt so weak, like her legs could give away at any moment._

_Her hand went to her mouth as she saw police tape around her flat, her and Peter's home._

_"Wha...?" She frowns._

_"They still need to investigate." Michelle says, rubbing her upper arm._

_"But I haven't got any of my stuff." She mutters._

_"It's okay, you can wear some of my clothes until you're able to go back."_

_"Okay..." she whispers, unable to stop staring at the building as they walk to the Rover's. "What's she doing?"_

_"Who?" Michelle's eyes follow Carla's._

_Outside the flat, a heartbroken looking Tina cries. A hand is covering her mouth and her whole body shook violently._

_Both women looked on in confusion, not knowing what to think._

_Obviously Peter and Tina knew eachother well, they'd go as far to call them friends. But she looked absolutely devastated, she looked like it was more than some minor friend who'd died._

_But Carla had a lot more on her mind right now, so she turned round and wandered into the Rover's, leaving Michelle to carry on staring._

It was now midday and Peter had gone back home during his lunch break to check on Carla.

"Car?" He calls out, putting his keys on the kitchen counter and boiling the kettle.

A few seconds later, Carla appears wrapped up in a fluffy black dressing gown.

"Are you alright now?"

"Yeah. Feeling loads better." She replies.

"Good because I think we need a chat."

"A chat?" She tenses.

"About earlier," He says, moving to sit on the sofa as she follows. "What was your dream about?"

"It doesn't matter."

"I think it does matter. You don't act that way for no reason. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She shuts him out.

"Car-..."

"Fine," she sighs. "You died. You got drunk and choked on your own sick, happy now?"

"Because of everything that's been going on recently?" He holds the bridge of his nose and looks down, unable to remain eye contact.'

"Why else?" She snaps.

Peter couldn't feel worse; thanks to him being back on the booze, Carla was now having nightmares that could soon be a reality. And what hurts him the most is how much it's affected her. She was supposed to be embracing her pregnancy, fully relaxed and at ease. But no, because he's made it all about himself and got her this stressed.

"I'm so sorry." He whispers.

"Don't be sorry, baby. I'm okay now." She reassures him.

"That's not the point. If I didn't start drinking again recently then this wouldn't of ever happened." He explains.

"Baby, I just can't have this actually happening. It'd break me." She croaks, tears filling her eyes.

"I'll stop drinking."

"But for how long? Rehab didn't work."

"I've got so much to fight for."

"I know you can't control it though, Peter. You don't want to drink but it's a disease, you feel like you have to drink."

"I know..."

"Peter," she whispers. "I want our baby growing up knowing who it's father is."

"And it will." He places a hand on her stomach.

"I can bare the though of...you not being there...and me having to bring up our baby and it coming home one day asking who it's daddy is."

"I will try my best to stay on the wagon. That's all I can go by right now but I can do this." He nods, reassuringly.

"I need you."

"And I need you," he confirms. "Now you put your feet up and I'll make us a coffee. Decaf for you of course."

They share a long, passionate kiss before he gets up.

For just now everything was okay.

_**Originally, this was supposed to be a one-shot where Peter died and that's how it ended. But my good friend, Abbey (@baileysbarlow), couldn't handle it so she encouraged me to make it into a dream. It's been a long time coming but I hope you all enjoyed it. Leave reviews!! x **_


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